Tag: college football season news

David Pollack analyses UGA football’s quarterbacks. ‘It’s 100 percent a competition’

Georgia’s quarterback battle is heating up with just a couple of weeks left until kickoff. Former Bulldog David Pollack gives his take here.

For most of the offseason we expected Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman to be the next star signal caller for the Bulldogs, but when he decided to opt-out of the 2020 college football season, he started an intense quarterback battle with just a few weeks before kickoff.

Former Georgia legend and college football analyst David Pollack recently spoke about the Bulldogs’ future at quarterback on his podcast with co-host  Kirk Herbstreit.

“There’s a competition. There is a legit, 100 percent (competition). “If you want to talk about one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country, D’Wan Mathis does not get past two or three in the country. You watch that guy throw, he can throw it through a carwash and not get it wet. It is insane,” Pollack continues. “He’s got so much arm talent. He can sling the mess out of it. He’s a 4.4 type athlete. He’s a freak athlete. You watch him, he’s not polished yet. And he’s not buttoned up and not smooth.

D’Wan Mathis is a redshirt freshman from Belleville, Michigan who was rated as the No. 11 pro style quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class.

In 2019, Mathis was competing as the Bulldogs’ practice squad quarterback when doctors found a cyst on his brain. He missed the next year in recovery, but has been able to make it back on to the field as he was fully cleared to participate this summer.

Mathis is competing with redshirt sophomore J.T. Daniels, a transfer from USC, who missed last season for the Trojans with a knee injury, but served as starting quarterback in 2018 where he threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“I think JT Daniels does a great job with timing and getting a ball out and throwing in rhythm, It’s a legit competition. The only thing Daniels, I can say, has a leg up on is experience.”

While Daniels is still not cleared for gameday, he has been practicing and the UGA coaching staff believes he will be cleared before kickoff on Sept. 26.

Georgia football play of the day – Georgia vs Tennessee (2014)

Watch the Georgia football play of the day here!

It’s college football Saturday!

There are several programs teeing it up today and only two more weeks until Georgia kicks off versus Arkansas to begin their 2020 football season on Sept. 26.

Today’s play of the day comes from Georgia’s 2014 matchup with Tennessee in Athens.

No. 12 Georgia faced an early 10-point deficit to the Vols, but was able to battle back behind star running back Todd Gurley’s 208 rushing yards.

Watch Gurley take flight here:

The Atlanta Falcons sure got a great Dawg when they signed Gurley this offseason.

The Bulldogs would go on to win 35-32, with most of the production coming from Gurley’s career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-sealing 51 yard score in the fourth quarter.

 

Former Georgia coach Mark Richt talks former UGA RB Sony Michel’s 2019 slump with Patriots

Patriots Wire recently spoke with former UGA coach Mark Richt about Sony Michel and is struggles as the Patriots running back in 2019. 

The USA Today’s Patriots Wire recently spoke with former Georgia football coach Mark Richt about former Bulldog Sony Michel and his struggles as the New England Patriots starting running back in 2019.

After a productive 2018 season with New England, Michel’s yards per carry dropped almost a yard to only 3.7 with 247 rushes in 2019, totaling 912 yards with seven touchdowns for the season.

Per Patriots Wire:

“Well, here’s the deal: where is Sony right now? He’s still with the Patriots,” former Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the Patriots Wire on Tuesday. “So that answers the question on whether you think he still could be the guy or not. So, they may need to block a little. They may need to let him hit the perimeter. He may have his issues too — I don’t know what he was dealing with health-wise. But if there’s space, he’ll get it and make the first guy miss and he’ll make yards after contact. He’s legit.”

The Patriots selected Michel 31st overall in the 2018 draft after four productive years at Georgia where he rushed his way to No. 3 on the Bulldogs’ all-time rushing yards list.

That makes it Hershel Walker, Nick Chubb and then Sony Michel. You won’t find better company than that.

The duo of Michel and Chubb – both recruited and signed by Richt – proved to be one of the most dynamic ever as they set the record for the most rushing yards by a pair of running back teammates in FBS history.

Richt said of Michel during that time:

“He wasn’t a huge ego guy that wanted to be the only guy. He understood the advantages of staying fresh and staying healthy throughout a game, throughout a season, throughout a career. We convinced him that, when you are on the field, what you put on tape is what’s going to decide where you get drafted and what kind of a pro career you’re going to have.”

Michel was set to compete for the starting spot this year with former Alabama running back, Patriots 2019 third-round pick Damien Harris and offseason pickup Lamar Miller.

After injuries have held Harris on IR for the next three weeks and kept Miller from making a roster spot, so it looks like it will be all Michel for at least the start of the 2020 season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia football play of the day – Georgia vs LSU (2018)

Watch the Georgia football play of the day here!

It’s Tuesday, September 8 and today’s play of the day comes from Georgia versus LSU in their 2018 matchup in Death Valley.

No. 5 Georgia faced one of the most difficult tasks in college football – No. 11 LSU at home.

Watch how Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield opened the game here:

Holyfield looked like a monster for the Bulldogs, but after missing two early touchdown opportunities, Georgia was forced to play comeback ball, which kept the ball in the air and out of the hands of Holyfield.

LSU held on to win 36-16, serving as a spark that would propel the Bulldogs to an SEC title and national title run.

 

Former UGA DB signed to Seattle Seahawks practice squad

Read what former Bulldog landed with the Seattle Seahawks practice squad for the 2020 NFL football season here!

Former Georgia receiver Jayson Stanley has been signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad for the 2020 NFL football season.

Stanley went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, but was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad last season and now will continue his NFL career as a defensive back for Seattle.

From Fairburn, Georgia, Stanley was a four star recruit in Georgia’s 2015 recruiting class. He appeared in 25 games during his time in Athens, earning a starting receiver spot in his final year of 2018.

Stanley impressed Seattle enough to garner their attention after the Falcons elected not to resign him this season.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL and has coached some of the most dominant secondaries in recent memory – including the infamous ‘legion of boom’ of the 2010s.

That said, Stanley landing with Carroll in Seattle should boost his experience as a young defender and maybe lead to a future roster spot next season.

 

 

 

 

Georgia football loses experience, play-making ability with quarterback Jamie Newman’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 CFB season

UGA quarterback Jamie Newman has decided to opt-out of the 2020 CFB season. How does Georgia replace his experience? Analysis here.

Just when things may be looking normal soon with the 2020 SEC football season just weeks away, Georgia suffers a huge blow to their offense, which was already facing a rebuild of sorts.

Bulldogs quarterback Jamie Newman decides to opt-out of the 2020 college football season.

Now, not only will Georgia be unveiling a different scheme under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken while working to replace four starters on the offensive line, but coach Smart and staff will also have to groom a new signal caller out of an inexperienced quarterback room.

I certainly don’t blame Newman for making a decision that he feels will be best for him in the long run.

The NCAA has granted athletes the option to opt-out, remain on scholarship and return for another year – extending eligibility for kids who feel  playing with the risks involved amid the Covid-19 pandemic outweigh the few reasons to play.

Newman has been projected to be drafted as high as the first-round of next year’s draft.

He trails only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields as the highest-graded returning quarterback in college football, according to Pro Football Focus.

Newman was also named as the No. 1 quarterback in touchdown’s versus the blitz by PFF.

In 2019, at Wake Forest, Newman threw for 2,686 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while adding 574 yards on the ground with six rushing touchdowns.

Besides Newman’s play-making ability, experience is what the Bulldogs are losing – perhaps now the most glaring hole in Georgia’s 2020 offense.

USC transfer quarterback J.T. Daniels does have 2,672 yards and year under his belt at USC, but he will have to learn to make plays in high-pressure SEC games while proving himself to the Georgia lockeroom. And he still isn’t technically cleared to play yet – although he has practiced.

Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis is coming off of brain surgery in 2019, but has returned to football activities. Former Georgia star quarterback Aaron Murray recently said Mathis was extremely impressive when he saw him at a practice in 2018.

The Bulldogs quarterback competition will now be at the forefront of everyone’s minds, especially with such big time games early in Georgia’s SEC-only schedule.

After going to Arkansas and facing Tennessee in Athens, Georgia will face Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama and Florida in consecutive games. An incredibly tough stretch for any team – especially one with an inexperienced signal caller.

Twitter reacts to Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 CFB season

Here is how UGA Twitter reacted to the recent news of Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 CFB season.

Wow, that stings. Georgia’s new heralded gunslinger Jamie Newman has decided to opt-out of the 2020 college football season and will be preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Can’t say I don’t blame him for doing so, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swollow.

We were excited to say the least when Newman chose to finish his collegiate career at Georgia. And all we’ve heard this summer is about how Newman was one of the top returning quarterbacks in college football, so losing him just weeks before the opening is disheartening.

Here is how UGA Twitter reacted to the recent news:

Georgia football play of the day – Georgia vs Auburn (2017)

Watch the Georgia football play of the day here!

It’s Tuesday, September 1, just 25 days until Georgia football is scheduled to kick off versus Arkansas.

Today’s play of the day comes from the 2017 SEC Championship game which featured No. 6 Georgia and No. 2 Auburn.

Auburn had thrashed the Bulldogs in their annual regular season matchup 40-17, so Georgia was looking for some redemption this time around.

We pick up early in the second quarter with the Tigers up 7-0. Auburn has controlled the pace of the game so far and faces a third and six from the Georgia 14 yard line.

Watch what happened next here:

A turning point for Georgia who would go on to score 28 unanswered points and secure its first SEC title since 2005. Truly an outstanding defensive performance by the Bulldogs in this one.

Auburn star quarterback Jarret Stidham was held to 145 yards passing and the Tigers offense tallied just 259 total yards.

 

Watch: Georgia freshman TE Darnell Washington’s insane high school tape

Watch the former 5-star recruit’s highlight tape here!

5-star Dessert Pines recruit Darnell Washington signed with Georgia as the No. 2 athlete, the No. 1 player in Nevada and the No. 23 overall recruit in the Bulldogs’ No. 1 class of 2020.

At 6-foot-7 260 pounds, Washington is already a miss match for opposing defenders.

The Under Armor All-American will wear No. 0 for the Bulldogs, which should make for a great target for Georgia quarterbacks when the Bulldogs kick off versus Arkansas on Sept 26.

Watch Washington’s dominant high school tape here:

Washington could be an absolute monster for Georgia, and with the departure of tight ends Eli Wolfe and Charlie Woerner, the Bulldogs will need to find production in the middle of the field.

 

All rankings via 247Sports 

UGA Twitter reacts to Justin Fields’ visit to Athens

Here is what Twitter had to say when Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields showed up to UGA’s preseason scrimmage Saturday.

Ohio State quaterback Justin Fields’ made the news Saturday, when the former Georgia signal caller visited the Bulldogs in Athens for their first preseason scrimmage.

According to Dawgnation, the Kennesaw, Georgia native was in the stands, not on the sideline.

Here are some Georgia football Twitter reactions to Fields visit: